Re-applying for a K1 fiance visa

[Adam&Allison 128]

Hi guys,

So first of all - hi!

Second of all, a little background to our situation. I'm a British guy and my fiance is an American girl, we've been together since January 2013, and earlier this year (January) we applied for a K1 visa. The I-129F petition was approved by USCIS and sent onto the U.S embassy in London, at which stage my fiance and I decided to withdraw the application due to various reasons, the biggest one being that the timing was not right - we remained engaged, happily, and now we have re-assessed our situation and have decided that me moving to the USA in Summer 2017 would be the optimal time to do so.

Within the coming weeks we will be re-submitting an I-129F petition, we had considered going down the CR-1 route instead but after consulting with an immigration lawyer they had informed us that the current wait time for that visa is around 13 months, and the K1 is usually a quicker process. Since it's been around a year or so since we handled all the paperwork and stuff, I'd like to just clarify what needs to be included in the package;

1) Payment of $340

2) I-129F

3) I-129F Supplement (Explanation of meeting in person)

4) G-325A with passport photo for petitioner and beneficiary

5) Birth certificate and US Passport photocopy (Petitioner)

6) Letter certifying intent to marry

7) Proof of meeting in person in the past two years (Last time we just included photos, but this time maybe I'll also include my British Airways receipts)

I think that about covers everything, we had an RFE last time but that was due to us not ticking a box on the I-129F - won't be making that mistake again!

Does anybody know what the current wait is like for I-129F to approve the petitions? We got ours pretty quick last time, I think around 50 days or so - and that was due to all petitions being forwarded to the California Service Centre, is this still happening?

Thanks!

[BenjaminKeating 114]

That's all I sent in.

Our K1 was pretty much 4 months from filing the I-129F to the visa being in my passport.

I think it really does vary, some peoples take less than that and other people have been waiting a year or more.

You might also find you may go under some extra checks/administrative processing due to your fiance withdrawing her petition and then wanting to refile it.

Link to K1 processing times, although these are only an extremely rough guide obviously: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1historical

That's all I sent in.

Our K1 was pretty much 4 months from filing the I-129F to the visa being in my passport.

I think it really does vary, some peoples take less than that and other people have been waiting a year or more.

You might also find you may go under some extra checks/administrative processing due to your fiance withdrawing her petition and then wanting to refile it.

Link to K1 processing times, although these are only an extremely rough guide obviously: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1historical

[JFH 12,190]

Hi guys,

we had considered going down the CR-1 route instead but after consulting with an immigration lawyer they had informed us that the current wait time for that visa is around 13 months, and the K1 is usually a quicker process.

Don't always believe the lawyers! There is no waiting time for CR-1 for spouse of a USC. There is a waiting time for spouses of LPRs, however.

The processing time is less than 13 months now, especially through a low-fraud embassy like London which has virtually no waiting list for appointments.

Our CR-1 is a total of 10 months and 1 day from posting the petition to interview. And we had a delay at USCIS due to my husband (the USC) having a criminal record and the necessary checks they do on felons.

Remember that the K-1 is the fastest way to get your feet on US soil but isn't the fastest or cheapest way to a green card. Next month the fees go up considerably - the increase in fees is greater for the K-1 than the CR-1. With the CR-1 you will be able to work, drive and leave the country immediately.

Go with the visa choice that's best for you, not what a lawyer thinks is right for you. Especially a lawyer that gives duff advice.

[Kastrs 723]

To add to what JFH said, I did the entire process in almost 9 months exactly. Definitely the K1 is faster right now, but there are a lot more benefits to going to the CR1 route.

I would suggest dropping the lawyer unless you have some extreme complexity to your case.

[Adam&Allison 128]

Oh yeah, our case is very straightforward, no red flags

Thanks guys!